Atherton Collieries 2-0 Northwich Villa

Ground 64

Match 68

North West Counties Div 2

Venue Alder Street

Formed 1916

Ground Capacity 2500

Record Attendance 1461 v FC United

At Hilton Park Leigh

Admission £5

Attendance 41

Programme £1-  V GOOD

Distance Travelled 7 miles


With a number of postponements already today even the sleet didn't put me off a visit to the' Colls'  in Greater Manchester .

Railway Sleeper Stand

There's a car park inside the ground but I didn't realise till I was already through the turnstile and making my way round to the club house. A decent looking seated stand near the entrance , apparently made with railway sleepers and painted in the club colours ,  provides a sheltered view for the more discerning fan  .  The back of this stand substitutes for a gents toilet for one unnamed individual so it was a relief to reach the club house  oppositea nd use the correct allocated 'piss pot.'  Further down the touchline is another seated and covered stand .

 There's a wry of odd looking buildings , more like corrugated cargo containers - ideal for a back garden study designed by Dairmuid Gavin with a few plants and outer space creativity . These containers provide the dressing rooms and refreshments outlet .

Changing Rooms

'Sooty, '  playing in black and white stripes were dominant from the start but couldn't convert chances into goals . Half-time and the teams are level 0-0 . Villa's keeper must have felt like he was starring in 'The Alamo ' with defenders nowhere to be seen , gone AWOL I think ! He made several quality saves .

Atherton Laburnum Rovers 0 Holker Old Boys 0

Ground 63 

Match 67

Sat 16th February 2013

Venue Crilly Park

Ground Caacity 3,000

Record Att 1325 v FC United 2006/07

Atherton L R 0 Holker Old Boys 0

Formed 1956 - as  Laburnum FC

North West Counties Div 1

Admission £5

Attendance  42

Programme £1 B/W ( Dated DEC 29th )

Distance Travelled 9 miles

The mouth watering prospect of a bottom of the table clash in the NWCFL Division One seemed like a great idea on a clear rain and frost free Saturday afternoon .

Surely with two poor defences on view in Greater Manchester there'd be shed loads of goals . I forgot both attacks might be more atrocious than the recent poor weather  !

Thought I was still in December when I began reading the programme , only six weeks out of date and as colourless as the match . In for a penny out for a pound - fair enough for a ' quid ! '

Chances were few and far between but were gilt edged 'sitters' that should have been netted , in particular Holker , no wonder they're adrift at the bottom . They should have won this game and taken three points back to Barrow-in-Furness .

To be fair to the Rovers regulars they were extremely humorous about their team saying this was one of the better games in the last six weeks . At least the grandstand was decent enough and the ground itself was good for this level although the undulating pitch had a tremendous slope  from one end to the other . The passing trains added to the atmosphere with the station close by .

 

 

Salford Lads Club

 With all the past rumours of demolishing this now  'Listed ' iconic building I thought it was well worth a trip to view it for myself .
Also  a welcome respite from all the stress of moving house .

 



Probably best  known and associated with Morrisey and 'The Smiths for the album cover ' The Queen is Dead .'

 

 Built in 1903 as a recreation club for boys in the Ordsall area of Greater Manchester and opened in 1904 by Robert Baden Powell . Former Members include Allan Clark of The Hollies and Graham Nash -  Crosby Stills and Nash .

 

The building featured in several films/videos including , ' Life In A Northern Town . '

Fundraising has included donations from  ' A Secret Millionaire ' and Morrisey  to pay for restoration work .